Rome: The Eternal City

History

The Kingdom and Republic

According to Roman tradition, Rome was founded in 753 BC by Romulus on the Palatine Hill. Archaeological evidence confirms settlement from at least the 10th century BC. The early city was ruled by kings until 509 BC, when the Romans expelled the last Etruscan king and established the Roman Republic — a system of elected consuls and a senate that would last 500 years and become a template for modern representative government.

The Empire

After decades of civil war, Julius Caesar's adopted son Octavian became the first Roman Emperor — Augustus — in 27 BC. At its peak under Trajan (c. 117 AD), the Roman Empire stretched from Scotland to Mesopotamia, encompassing 70 million people. Rome itself held perhaps one million inhabitants — the largest city in the Western world for centuries. Its engineering achievements — aqueducts, roads, concrete domes — were not equalled until the Industrial Revolution.

From Empire to Papacy

As the Western Empire collapsed in the 5th century, the Catholic Church gradually filled the power vacuum. Rome became the seat of the papacy, giving the city a second extraordinary chapter. The medieval and Renaissance popes transformed it into one of the world's great artistic capitals — commissioning Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling (1508–1512) and the rebuilding of St Peter's Basilica. Rome remained a papal state until Italian unification, becoming the capital of united Italy in 1871.

Landmarks

The Colosseum

Completed in 80 AD, the Flavian Amphitheatre — better known as the Colosseum — could hold 50,000 to 80,000 spectators for gladiatorial contests, animal hunts, and public executions. Its engineering was revolutionary: a system of vaults and arches allowed the entire crowd to evacuate in minutes. Today it is the world's most visited ancient monument, attracting over 7 million visitors a year.

The Pantheon

Built by Emperor Hadrian around 125 AD, the Pantheon is the best-preserved ancient building in the world — still in continuous use after 2,000 years (today as a church). Its unreinforced concrete dome, 43.3 metres in diameter, remained the largest in the world until Brunelleschi built Florence's duomo in the 15th century. The central oculus — a circular opening 8.7 metres wide — is the only source of light.

Vatican City

Entirely surrounded by Rome, Vatican City is the world's smallest sovereign state (0.44 km²) and the seat of the Catholic Church. St Peter's Basilica — completed in 1626 after over a century of construction — can hold 60,000 people. Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel, the Vatican Museums, and Bernini's colonnade in St Peter's Square are among the greatest artistic achievements of human civilisation.

Fast Facts

• Rome has been continuously inhabited for over 2,700 years
• The Trevi Fountain collects approximately €3,000 per day in tourist coins, donated to charity
• Rome's Circus Maximus could hold up to 250,000 spectators — the largest venue in the ancient world
• The city sits on seven hills: Aventine, Caelian, Capitoline, Esquiline, Palatine, Quirinal, and Viminal
• Roman concrete (opus caementicium) has proved stronger with age due to mineral crystallisation — modern researchers study it to improve today's concrete